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Brush Council hears two sides of skydiving

Mayor: Company no longer interested in coming to Brush

Brush Mayor Rick Bain removed the 'Sky Diving at Brush Municipal Airport' item from the Council agenda at the start of the meeting on Monday.

Bain said they had heard late that afternoon that Orange Skies Free Fall Center was no longer interested in bringing its business to Brush, so there was "nothing to discuss."

However, in the public comment period, the Council heard from at least eight community members thoughts about bringing this or other skydiving businesses into Brush. Some speakers were for that to happen, and some were against.

The Council heard first from Morgan County Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Greg Thomason. He said he came to the meeting to express his support of bringing this business to Brush. Thomason referred back to the presentation of Keri Konold of GreenPlay, LLC, which referred to the importance of focusing on economic development and recreation together. GreenPlay is the contractor working on the city's new Parks and Rec Master Plan.

Thomason recognized Brush Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melody Christensen and the chamber's efforts to put on events throughout the year.

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However, Thomason added, bringing in businesses like Orange Skies, he believed, could help make Brush a destination for people outside of the area. He said he saw this as a "lost opportunity" for the city and urged the Council and others to be open to such possibilities in the future.

"That's really how local businesses on Main Street will not only survive, but thrive," Thomason said.

The Council also heard from Robert Farnam of High Plains Cattle Supply. He said he wanted to talk about the adverse impact of bringing skydiving back to Brush.

Farnam emphasized he's not "anti-growth," but rather "pro-sustainable business." He called for attracting businesses to Brush that "fit in with community culture" and are "complementary" to existing businesses in the city.

Farnam referenced the estimate that Brush Marketing Specialist Tyler Purvis presented to the Council during the Jan. 28 meeting. That estimate was for about $178,750 for net economic benefits, using an economic impact analysis software they have used previously from the Morgan County Economic Development Corp.

Farnam compared that amount to the contributions his own business makes in revenue, taxes and the draw of customers from outside of the community. He highlighted, too, their other efforts to contribute to the community, including from 4-H to Future Farmers of America to the county fairs in Brush and Akron.

Farnam repeated that he did not see the skydiving business as complementary to the community and added, "I have a huge stake in this game."

He told the Council that if they were in their positions, they would come forward, too. He ended with a question, asking, if the business was "such a good thing," then why did the other small airports around the state not all have skydiving, as well?

The Council next heard from Danny Blake, who has come to the majority of the recent Council meetings where discussing skydiving was on the agenda.

"We did all of this a couple of weeks ago," Blake said. "The vote was no."

Blake asked the Council how this item came up again after it was voted down.

Mayor Bain said the Council has always been able to bring up an agenda item again that was rejected previously.

Blake pointed out later that the Brush airport is owned by the city, but it is out of city limits. He also asked why the skydiving company planned to have skydivers land at the airport, itself.

The Council heard next from Deb Wacker, who said she supported what Farnam and Blake said. Wacker told the Council, "I'm not a fun hater," but she had concerns about the safety of this business for the skydivers, themselves.

Wacker described her previous experience with a former skydiving business in Brush and her concerns for bring skydivers back to Brush.

She also questioned whether or not the business would actually bring in local jobs, or if they would just bring in staff from elsewhere.

Wacker asked how they could find out if this came up again at a Council meeting. Bain said she and anyone else could contact City Clerk Andrea Strand to be notified when this or another topic came up at the meeting.

The Council heard next from Kristin Evelyn, who said she was not a neighbor of the Brush airport, but was there to stand up with fellow businesses. Evelyn expressed her opposition to bringing this business to Brush.

On the side of those who wanted to bring this business to Brush, Chamber Member Willow Roddy Moskowitz spoke next with a prepared statement. A more recent addition to Brush, Roddy Moskowitz said she has a "deep love for the community" and had called for this to be brought back to Council.

Roddy Moskowitz said she had done 20 hours of research on this in the past week, speaking to residents - including at least one neighbor of the airport - and the Orange Skies owner, among others. She said the business could have brought 28 employee positions to Brush and brought 8,000 to 10,000 people to the city per year for the business. Roddy Moskowitz concluded by saying she hoped the Council will welcome new businesses to the community in the future.

Christensen, the chamber executive director, commented next. She said she believed the business should have at least been given a trial period to see how it did in the community.

Christensen pointed out that the skydiving community in Colorado is tight-knit, and she believed by rejecting this business, the city hindered future chances of skydiving or other businesses seeking to come to the city.

Mitch and Randy Blake also presented to the Council, bringing up their past experiences with the former skydiving business in Brush and their concerns that another one would result in the same experience.

Mitch Blake said they are not anti-business, but they did not want this type of business. He said they saw two deaths with the former business before that company left.

Evelyn commented again quickly, saying she also is not anti-business, but she wanted the Council to "think about the people who are already here."

Randy Blake added similar sentiments of their negative experiences with the former skydiving business.

"I hope you can find a new business that doesn't fall out of the sky," he said.

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